Sunday, July 24, 2016

So it has been waaaayyyyy too long since I have done a Sunday Sounds post. Don't worry I didn't forget :) Life sometimes does this to you. But this has given me a good chance to find some new songs/artists that I have really been loving! So without further ado, here are some of my favs that I have been listening to recently.

1. All Time Low Jon Bellion

I recently discovered Jon Bellion, and I LAHVE his music. I recommened checking out all of his other songs. Some other favs of his are: iRobot, Guillotine, Maybe IDK, Human. UGH I NEED TO FIND MORE MUSIC LIKE HIS. Also, make sure to go to YouTube and check out all of his acoustic versions of his songs to listen to his angelic voice. *goose bumps*

2. Fire Barns Courtney

I actually heard this song on an alternative radio station that I normally don't listen to when I was driving home one day. I knew that I had to figure out what song it was because this is the type of music that I like to listen to. It's a goodun'.

3. Gravity SMNM

I discovered this gem on one of my favorite music YouTube channels, MrSuicideSheep. That channel always has the most amazing music and this song is no exception. Give it a listen :)

So those are a couple of songs that I have been obsessed with! Hopefully I can do more Sunday Sounds in the near future so that I can share more of my favorites with you :)

Friday, July 22, 2016

So I was going to make a video about what I'm feeling about current events in the world, but I realized that I would probably be shaking in either anger or sadness, so instead, I decided to pour my heart into this blog post in the comfort of my bed where I can shake in anger and sadness in private.

Also, I apologize in advance if if seems like randomness. I wanted to write exactly how I think so it will probably be brain ramblings. Ramblings from my brain.

*sigh*
Firstly I want to discuss all the gun violence/shootings going around the world. I woke up this morning to a notification from USA TODAY (because I get notifs about breaking news) to discover a mass shooting in Munich, Germany. At least 6 people dead so far. This coming so soon after the attacks in Orlando, Nice, New Orleans, Dallas, and more. My heart hurts for all the people affected. I guess, in some way, I am affected too because these people were living humans who had their whole lives ahead of them. It could happen to any of us at any time. This is what is so scary to me. We are normalizing this violence/gun violence. This is something that we should never have to normalize. The fact that we are being told that gun violence/terrorism is "something that we are going to have to live with" is absolutely appalling to me. This is not the type of world that I want to live in, or my family and friends, future children, & anyone on this planet for that matter. This brings the topic of gun control. I am not a "gun enthusiast" and I have no desire to fire a gun ever. One of the main arguments against gun control is that it infringes on the second amendment. Ok, tt should be noted that when the second amendment was created, the only guns around were ancient caskets and pistols that missed the target half the time. Not military grade assault rifles. In fact, I don't think ordinary citizens should be able to purchase assault rifles. There is no need for that. I am all for freedom of expression blah blah blah, but this is something that needs to be dealt with and reconsidered.

Secondly I am very saddened to hear about all of the blatant racism going on in the world. Just to clarify, I am a full supporter of #BlackLivesMatter. Of course I believe that all lives matter, but right now, the black community needs to feel supported by the rest of the world. I read an analogy from Reddit user GeekAesthete about the #BlackLivesMatter movement that I thought perfectly summed up my thoughts: Imagine that you're sitting down to dinner with your family, and while everyone else gets a serving of the meal, you don't get any. So you say, "I should get my fair share." And as a direct response to this, your dad corrects you, saying, "Everyone should get their fair share." Now, that's a wonderful sentiment — Indeed, everyone should, and that was kinda your point in the first place: that you should be a part of everyone, and you should get your fair share also. However, dad's smart-ass comment just dismissed you and didn't solve the problem that you still haven't gotten any!The problem is that the statement "I should get my fair share" had an implicit "too" at the end: "I should get my fair share, too, just like everyone else." But your dad's response treated your statement as though you meant "only I should get my fair share," which clearly was not your intention. As a result, his statement that "everyone should get their fair share," while true, only served to ignore the problem you were trying to point out.Just like asking dad for your fair share, the phrase "black lives matter" also has an implicit "too" at the end: It's saying that black lives should also matter. But responding to this by saying "all lives matter" is willfully going back to ignoring the problem. It's a way of dismissing the statement by falsely suggesting that it means "only black lives matter," when that is obviously not the case. And so saying "all lives matter" as a direct response to "black lives matter" is essentially saying that we should just go back to ignoring the problem.

That is pretty much my feelings on it, so there's that.Lastly, I am very upset about the upcoming election. The fact that Donald Trump is actually the GOP Nominee for President of the United States makes me sick. It was funny at first, but now...now it actuals terrifies me. I actually don't want to waste any breath (or typing) on him, but he is a huge xenophobe, misogynist, homophobe, racist man. The fact that he is even a consideration for the presidency is just...so sad. It seems like the past century has experienced so much positive growth towards equality (i.e women able to vote, segregation is outlawed, gay marriage is made legal) and I think that this is amazing. However, it seems that we are taking 300 steps backwards to where we were before. This is not okay. I also got another notification from USA TODAY that the former KKK leader, David Duke, is announcing his intention to run for the Louisiana Senate. Besides the fact that he has a felony for tax evasion which he spent time in prison for, he was the FRICKING LEADER OF THE KU KLUX KLAN. Why is he even able to do something like this? He wants to get rid of diversity and is a blatant racist. I actually have no words.SO these are some of my thoughts on things going on in the world. I am not really into politics or anything, but they affect all of us. I think it is important to stay informed and educate yourself, because knowledge is powerful. Please educate yourselves. Ok that is all.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Yesterday was SUCH a nice day out that we had to take advantage of it (perfect weather days don't happen too often around here!) We decided to take the drive down to Como Park in St. Paul. Despite the crazy amounts of construction, the commute wasn't that bad. However, once we got to the park, that was a different story...

We were lucky enough to catch someone pulling out of their parking spot JUST as we were driving into the parking lot. Other than that, the lot was completely full. To the max!

There are lots of things to do at Como Park, such as biking, golfing, kayaking, canoeing, as well as visit the attached zoo. We decided to just take a nice "leisurely" stroll around the lake (and by leisurely, I mean fast walking as my dad has the stride of a giraffe!) FUN FACT: In total, one time around the lake is about 1.5 miles.

The lake is gorgeous. On the banks of the lake, there are old and new trees alike, wildflowers, and even wild raspberries (I saw a man go into the bushes to eat them, not sure if that was a good idea but you do you, man.)

There was also this weird platform thing in the middle of the lake, that we decided to walk to walk on. It's funny because from the distance, it looks like you are walking on water!

Once we walked around the lake, we decided to go to the Como Zoo's Japanese Garden. Absolutely beautiful. There were bonsai trees galore, waterfalls, fllotating walking paths, and even traditional Japanese tea houses that apparently you can partake in every weekend (but they fill up rather quickly.) I want to have my own personal Japanese garden in my backyard!

Last but not least, we headed over to the old (I mean OLD) carousel at the Como Zoo. I hadn't been there in YEARS, but my dad and sister wanted to go on it. I am not too fond of rides in general, particularly ones that go in circles because they make me feel sick, but I was convinced to go on. It was fun!

Here we are almost packed and ready to leave. We were only going away for the weekend, but packed like we were going for two weeks! Does anyone else do this???

We stopped at Walmart on the way up to the cabin and there was this beautiful sunset. I tried to capture it, but I don't think my iPhone did it any justice. Much prettier IRL.

We got to the cabin pretty late (about 11:30pm) and crashed. Woke up the next morning to this gorgeous view. What a nice day. Not too hot, not too cold, just right!

We kayaked a lot around the bay because boats & jet skis were out in full force. it was my first time kayaking but I had a lot of fun doing it, and would do it again in a heart beat. Hopefully I get to go do it again soon.

We also went for walks along the path. It was quite buggy (as in, there were lots of bug i.e. mosquitoes & flies), but it was nice to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Maybe it was all the fresh air or the sun, but I was exhausted by the end of each night!

My mom spontaneously bought this pillow when we went to Walmart the first night. She got it mostly because it is her favorite emoji. And it is so soft. We called him Mr. Squishy-Pants.

One night we decided to go to the local movie theater. Believe it or not, this picture was taken at 7:30 pm!! It looks like it was 1 pm! We saw The BFG. Quick review: It was...interesting. I never read the book so I don't know what it was about & I didn't have an emotional connection to it. I mean it was just okay.

We got back from the movies and headed down to the dock and watched fireworks. The fireworks came from all over the lake. It was magical.

We packed up everything, cleaned the dishes, brought all the outdoor furniture inside and made the long voyage home.